The Suffering
by Hoodman
Summary: Robin is convicted with the murder of the Teen Titans. He is sentenced to death at Abbott State Penitentiary. Can he figure out what happened to his friends, or will he fall before the horrors of Carnate Island?
1. Waiting to Die

'Ello, duckies! Welcome to the next bally story by yore friend Hoody! Seriously, this is a story I wanted to write ever since I played the game. Some chapters will be short, because the level in the game is short. I'm simply putting the Titans in Torque's position. I'm working on one for Terra, but that has yet to be determined. And yes, there will be dialogue. And implied Robin/Starfire and Beast Boy/Terra. But no lovey-dovey scenes, seeing as how all of them except for Robin are dead. But do not fear! Do not leave this story because of this! I'll tie it all up in the end. And there will be strong language, but it is from the game that I pull this from, not my mind. The only reason I add it in is to show how the characters are. For example, one will drop F-bombs like WWII, but Robin himself will probably say "ass" once a chapter, and nothing worse than "damn". There will also be blood and gore, as well as talk about sexuality in one character's case. Obviously I rated this R, and I'm sorry for those of you who can't read this, but I would destroy the story if I made it PG-13. For those of you who can read this, enjoy.

For reference, everyone except Robin is wearing their Titan's uniform, which means Terra has the black long-sleeved tank top with the gloves and shorts. She's dressed as she was in "Titan Rising" and "Betrayal".

Without further ado, here is the prologue to "The Suffering".

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Robin sat silently on board the prison ship that was taking him to Hell. More like a prison tugboat than anything. His sleeveless white shirt was like a brand labeling him as a murderer, his mustard yellow pants reminding him of his friend's favorite "beverage". He was barefoot, since no shoes fit him, and he sat with them propped on the opposite seat, arms crossed as he tried not to think of where he was going.

"Excuse me."

Robin looked up to see a man that looked barely 20 years old standing before him. He was hunched over, his red buzz cut sticking out like a lighthouse as he looked at everything but Robin.

"Could I sit here, sir?"

Robin looked at the man, and smiled. Finally, someone who wasn't obsessed with torture and murder.

"Sure, have a seat."

The man sat down, and looked greatly relieved, and Robin began to inquire him.

"Seasick?"

"Yeah, get it every time I'm two feet from the shore."

"You'll get your sea legs soon."

"I doubt it friend. Scheduled for death row."

"Same here. What for?"

"Supposedly I killed a little girl after raping her mom. I know I didn't do it; I was at home watching the ball game. I heard about yours, though. Got Judge Basner, huh? That little ass would accuse a newborn of GTA."

"Not very popular is he?"

"Every single one of the people that he takes to trial are sent here. His nickname, among less pleasant things, is Judge Bastard. He had a civilized childhood, wonder what made him become such a shithead?"

"Maybe he lost a parent?"

"The guy has never lost a family member, or a friend. He has a lovely wife and two children. You couldn't find two more happy kids on the planet. By the way, my name's Jeremy. Pleasure to meet you."

"Robin, likewise. It's good to meet someone who doesn't brag about their crimes."

"Oh, there's a lot of that going on here. You see that guy?"

Jeremy pointed to a big black man sitting cross-legged, talking to a bald inmate. "That's Dave, but his nickname is The Terminator. He's been here about seventeen times rumor has it. I don't know if it's true, but I do know he's been here more than once, for charges that'll make your head spin. Thing is, he does it just to go back to Carnate. He's crazy, if you ask me."

Robin sighed. "I remember when I was putting lowlifes like him behind bars." He grimaced. "Money says I'm gonna see some familiar faces there."

"I doubt it. Only the worst crimes are punished here, and I don't think you've caught anyone with a charge like mine."

"Can't say I have. But I'm sure my reputation's gonna bite me in the ass while I'm here."

"If not that, your accusation will. The prison population looks down on people who kill kids, regardless of the circumstances. I wouldn't worry though. You're the Boy Wonder. Once you smack a couple of them around, you'll get the respect you deserve."

"Thanks, man."

"Think nothing of it. You deserve some respect, 'specially after being sent here by that bastard."

"Abbott's that bad?"

"Let me put it this way. Carnate Island was created from the leftovers of Hell, and Abbott was built out of stone from Satan's throne. There's no place worse than here. It's said to be haunted, and I would believe it too. All the forms of human atrocities have happened here. From burnings to the gas chamber to being buried alive. There was a slave ship that was transporting illegally captured Negroes back to America during the early 1800's. They beached on this island, and to save their own skins, they let rats eat the Negroes alive. Then there's Abbott itself. All forms of execution have taken place here. all save beheading, but that surely must have happened before it was built. You name a way to kill someone, and it's been done somewhere in the long history of this place. The ground has been soaked with human blood so many times that the trees themselves appear carnivorous, only able to take in blood to nourish themselves. Not true, but it could happen, knowing this place."

"You seem to know a lot about Carnate. Been here before?"

"Yes, for something I actually did. I was getting high, and I thought I saw Satan, so I tried to run him over with my van. Turns out that it was a group of elder people that were crossing the street. I killed all eight of them. I'm ashamed of myself. I've gone cold turkey on weed ever since."

"Good for you. Ain't ever touched the stuff myself."

"You don't want to, let me tell you. I did some crazy shit when I went on a bad trip once. Saw pink rabbits with chainsaws. God, I'm insane."

"No you're not."

"What makes you say that?"

"You don't want to know."

Jeremy decided not to press the issue further, and looked up from Robin. He saw Carnate on the horizon, and started talking to him again.

"Take a good look at the water, my friend. I have this feeling you and I will never see it again."

"I wouldn't worry. You might be able to make an appeal."

"Doubt it. I think I've finally had it. Well, it was nice talkin' to ya, Robin."

"Same here. Maybe we'll be in the same prison block."

"Maybe."

The boat pulled into the docks, and they all stood up to enter the island that would be their home for the rest of their lives. One black C.O. with a goatee smacked Robin in the back of his head with the butt of his shotgun. "Get goin' inmate, I ain't got time to put up with any of your shit." He called out to the other prisoners, "If any of you got jackrabbit blood, I will cap you before you can take five steps, ya dig?"

Robin rubbed the back of his head. "Whatever you say, asshole." He mumbled under his breath. The C.O. whirled on him. "What was that?" he said dangerously, pointing his weapon at Robin's head. Jeremy came to his rescue, pushing the gun down as he talked to the officer.

"It's alright sir, he was talking to me."

"The C.O. looked from Jeremy to Robin, then back again. "Alright, whatever you say. But I have my eye on you." He said to Robin, glaring at the boy with disgust. As the two put distance between them and the disgruntled man, Robin turned to Jeremy.

"Thanks, man. That guy was gonna pop me back there. I owe you."

"Ah, it was nothing. That's Johnson; he's a paranoid son of a bitch. Thinks that all the inmates are plotting against him. But don't get the wrong idea. He was nice to me during my last time here. Just do as he says without question, and he might put in a good word or two about you if you make an appeal."

Robin smiled. Not even on the island for a minute, and he'd already made a friend. Perhaps his time here wouldn't be too bad.

He heard the cage door slam shut. He was in a rectangular pen with a chain link fence perimeter topped off by barbed wire. The other inmates had spread out, and some were standing around, others sitting, and some even laying down to take a nap before being shipped off to Abbott. Robin leaned against the chain link fence. He crossed his arms and thought about his team. What had been his team. He remembered fondly the way Beast Boy and Terra were always no more than twenty feet apart from each other, how Cyborg would always go for pizza in the T-car, how Starfire would always have some sort of alien holiday almost every week. Robin felt tears come to his eyes at the memory of seeing Raven and Cyborg fix dinner together, talking about the new video game or about Raven's new book. About how Beast Boy and Terra would watch in amusement as he tried to teach Starfire to play video games. He remembered the time that she had held the controller upside down, trying to figure out what each button and joystick did as Beast Boy and Terra giggled with silent mirth at Robin's best efforts to show her how to hold it correctly.

Robin's memories were cut short by some inmates talking about him. He acted as though he didn't hear them, but listened intently for what they were saying.

One of them pointed at him. He was white, with greasy black hair that had been made into a mullet. "You see that guy?" he said, his voice high and squeaky. "Fucking degenerate, killed some kids."

Dave spoke up next, his voice raspy from snorting crack for who knew how long. "His own teammates is what I heard. That bastard even killed two of them who where in love. Little asshole, he deserves worse than the needle."

"What do you say we do it ourselves? Maybe cut him down to size?"

Another joined their group. He too was black, but where Dave was Tall and muscular, he was short and bony. He looked as though he hadn't been fed except once a month, with long arms that looked as though they had seen many gang fights. "Not a bad idea. The C.O.'s won't care if we shiv him. Let's kill that cocksucker." He said, his voice sounding like a teenagers.

"I'm all for it. What's say we introduce him to are little friends?"

With that, the three pulled out shivs and advanced on the lone boy. The shivs that they had made where from a metal bed frame that had been sharpened on one end and a cloth wrapped around the other side to make a grip. Armed like this, they walked up to the Boy Wonder and began slashing at him, trying to hit his vital areas as their weapons sliced through the air. Robin ducked and sweep kicked the white man, who was named Patrick. He then grabbed Dave's wrist, who had been holding his shiv upside down, about to plunge the weapon into Robin's unprotected back. Robin squeezed a pressure point on his wrist, and Dave dropped his weapon with a bellow of pain, and punched Robin away from him. Robin scooped up the shiv as he flew backwards, throwing it back with expert accuracy. Dave had reflexes from living on the street, and ducked his head, but the weapon still sliced into his back, a tribute to how sharp it was. Dave roared with pain and rage, charging Robin with cold fury in his eyes.

"Mutha fucka, I'm gonna clean this floor with yo ass!"

Robin jumped over his head, kicking him on the cut. Dave slammed headfirst into the fence, nearly pushing it down with his momentum. Robin failed to notice the smaller man, who was known as Charles, sneak up behind him. Robin ducked, but not in time to doge the shiv that went through the side of his arm like it wasn't there. Robin shouted with agony, and kicked him back, shiv flinging from his hands towards Jeremy, whose own street borne reflexes caught the weapon, and he slipped it into his mustard yellow shirt for future use.

Robin's battle with them was nothing compared to what was going on in his mind. He was trying his hardest to not become the thing that had possessed him when Slade had threatened them with the fake chronoton detonator. He blocked another hit, but Dave slashed at him, cutting deep into his back. Charles stabbed his shoulder lightly, and Patrick got him on his leg.

"This is for your friends, you bastard." Said Patrick, and Robin yelled with fury, He could feel his body change. He tried his best to keep it in line, but this latest insult drove him over the edge. He could feel his jaws elongate and his teeth become fangs. His sight went away as his skin folded over them, but his other senses were more than enough to tell him more than his eyes could. He felt the thumb on his right hand shrink, while the fingers fused together and grew to create deadly long claws. His left hand became a broadsword blade, and his skin ripped in several places as his body grew until he was almost six feet tall while he hunched over. He felt a presence to his left, and the sword sliced into its head. He stabbed to his right with his right hand, impaling another entity with his two claws. Throwing the two at the one in front of him, he jumped at the group, roaring as the monster that was Robin slashed and hacked away at them. Soon, he felt the rage subside, and slowly he lost his monstrous anger, and became human once again. Now, of course he stayed human the whole time. The beast was all in his mind, but to Robin it had really happened. He looked at the bodies in front of him, and heard the shouts of the C.O.'s as they tried to restore order to the once calm holding pen.

Robin turned around and looked out to sea. Standing on a ledge that jutted out across the waves stood his former team. Beast Boy and Terra were holding hands, and Cyborg and Raven stood on either side of them, all looking at him with blank expressions on their faces. Standing in front of them was Starfire, and she held out her hand to the awed boy.

"We still believe in you, Robin." She said almost sadly, and they vanished, leaving a scared and saddened Robin behind. He barely noticed as he was lugged onto an old army truck with what was left of the prisoners to be taken to the prison itself. Jeremy sat next to him, his face looking concerned for the boy.

"What happened back there? You suddenly grabbed Patrick and Charles and threw them into Dave as though they weighed nothing. Then you started to beat on them until you, well… killed them. What the Hell got into you?"

"I don't know, Jeremy, I just don't know."

"Well, I'll tell you one thing. You're gonna get your respect now. Wow, killing Dave like that. You're going down in history, you hear me, man. You're going down in fucking history for that. I'm glad I met you. Dave was a real bad one. You did us all good getting rid of him."

The other prisoners voiced the same thing.

"Good work."

"Nicely done."

"Dave ain't killin' no more ladies, that's fo sho. Uh-uh, he gettin' what he deserves in Hades now. Congratulations, boy."

Johnson looked back from the passenger seat. "I'm with them. You saved me a Hell of a time. I remember when it took five of us wielding Tommies to make him follow orders. Your something special, kid. If you try to get an appeal, I'm putting in a word or three on your behalf."

Robin smiled to himself. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad now that he had a good reputation with the prisoners and C.O.'s. The truck drove along the meandering hills of Carnate to Abbott State Penitentiary, where none of them could imagine the nightmare that would consume the island in a few hours.

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Yes, the language is uncharacteristic of my stories, but they cuss in the game, so I'm trying to follow the game as well as Teen Titans. I know it's short, but it's the prologue. The chapters will get longer as the levels in the game do.

Now let me explain Robin's problem. When he feels threatened or intensely enraged, in his mind he becomes a monster that you can see at t h e s u f f e r i n g . m i d w a y . c o m. Just remove the spaces, and go to screenshots. A picture of what his monster form looks like is screenshot number fourteen (14). I'll be telling you more screenshots to show the different monsters, so bookmark the site.

'Til the next chapter, which is titled "The Worst Place on Earth".


	2. The Worst Place on Earth

Here's the official chapter one. Again, lots of language, and from now on, I'm not going to describe Robin's insanity mode in detail. I'll just say he did, but not so blandly.

Anyway, enjoy.

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"How many times have I done this? And I still hate it."

Robin was being escorted to his cellblock by two guards. After the incident at the docks, he had been under constant surveillance; the C.O.'s didn't want to suffer the same fate as Dave.

Ernesto, a Mexican immigrant that had picked up on all the negative parts of the English language, responded to his friend, who happened to be cousin to Johnson.

"At least when you escort an inmate to death row, you know he's scheduled to get what he deserves."

"Ernesto, you can be a real jackass, you know that?"

"You hear what this one did?"

"Ernesto, I don't wanna…"

"Beat his girlfriend to a bloody pulp. Killed her with his fists."

"I said I don't…"

"Then he bashed two of them who were in love in the head with a baseball bat, slit the throat of a sorceress, then destroyed the other one with a detonator. Don't ask me to cry for him."

Ernesto's friend, who was called George, whistled in awe at his charges.

"Inmate. Is this true?"

"Oh, he won't say. Claims he blacked the whole thing out. A likely story. Fucking inmates, they should all die."

Robin clenched his teeth, but did not attack, after looking at the picture in the box that had all the belongings they would allow in. Toothbrush and toothpaste, some books, and most important to Robin, a picture he had took of his team one day. Cyborg was giving the peace sign, Raven was looking blankly at the camera, and Beast Boy was grinning from ear to ear while Terra had her head on his shoulder, waving at the camera. Starfire was on one side, a little half smile on her face as she stared at Robin, her emerald eyes sparkling with joy. The sun was setting right behind the Tower, and it cast a halo over the tower, and making his friends stick out, like Robin had wanted.

His reminiscence was cut short when Ernesto shoved him into his cell. There was a fold up bed that was supported by chains on the wall opposite the cell door, which was the vertical iron bar design. A table and chair stuck out of one of the walls perpendicular to the bed halfway between it and the bars. Robin set his things on this, and took out the picture to look at it. Ernesto was wrong. He couldn't remember what had happened that fateful day. Had it been him? Or was it something else? He hoped that it was the latter of the two.

He overheard a conversation between the prisoners in his cellblock, which numbered six individual cells separated on either side by a foot thick concrete wall. The doors opened outwards to a small hallway that had another installment of bars blocking a small access hall that led to the interior of the prison. The cellblock itself couldn't have been more than seven feet wide, not including the cells themselves. Off to the left of the access hall right after you went past the gate was the control room for their cellblock. It had a guard in it that controlled whether or not the gate to the access hall opened or closed, thus controlling who entered or left. It was dimly lighted, which Robin figured to be cheap wiring. Back at the Tower it was as bright as day with all the lights on.

He began to pay attention to see if he could spot Jeremy's voice, and maybe make some more allies. Before they had gone their separate ways, Jeremy had told him that the more people that liked you the more power you had over the C.O.s. With guys to back you up, the guards knew not to argue with big groups of inmates. Robin had already gained respect for killing Dave, although he was not proud of this. He heard them begin to discuss him, and he paid attention to them, seeing if he could join in their talk.

A bald white male across the cellblock was the fist one Robin heard. He was lifting weights as he talked about Robin. "Willy's bed isn't even cold yet, and already they brought in a new guy."

Robin couldn't see who spoke next, because whoever they were they were two cells to the left. Robin had been placed on the first right cell just as you walked in from the main hallway.

"I heard he whacked his little hooker and friends. Sick mutha fucka."

"Shut up, you jerry curled fool. Don't you know who that is?" Said a black man that was in the middle left cell, whose name was Benjamin, but was called Big B. by the others. "That's Robin, the Boy Wonder himself. Word is that he killed Dave's gang out by the docks."

"So what?" Came the high-pitched voice from the far right cell. "I can understand cappin' his friends, but he killed his girl too. Mutha fucka deserves to be strapped down and dosed." He said, referring to lethal injection.

"Shut the fuck up, Wayde. You don't know shit about the guy. From what I've heard, he's all right." Retorted Benjamin.

The bald man spoke up next. "That cocksucker's not gonna be all right for long if he's in the row for the rest of his short time."

Ben shouted at the man. "Shut yo cracka ass, Goose. He deserves your respect, you show him respect!"

Goose shouted right back. "I'll decide who I respect, shit boy! And the next time you tell me what to do I'll…"

The guard had had enough of their squabbling, and activated the intercom that allowed him to talk to the prisoners in the cellblock.

"Keep it down in there, any of you wanna go back on the low?"

They all were silent.

"I didn't think so."

Robin looked towards Ben. "What's the low?"

"The low is the nickname for solitary. That's were all the real bad ones end up. It's horrible. They shut you up in this concrete tomb and leave you there for a day or two. Lotta good men have gone crazy from the low. Saying they heard voices and other crazy shit. I'd not argue if you're threatened with solitary, man. It's said to be haunted down there."

Robin nodded his understanding, hoping that he had gained a point with the man. He heard a voice that reminded him of the mad scientist that made the hair monster on Looney Tunes coming from the cell next to him.

"So what's your story, huh? Your lawyer fuck you? I heard about your trial, they have no witnesses and all circumstantial evidence. I've heard that you blocked it all out, is that true?"

"Leave him alone, Floyd." Ben told him, and Robin was relieved. "Don't listen to him, Robin. Floyd's a degenerate parasite. They shoulda slapped the cuffs on him comin' outta his momma."

"At least I know, Jesus is with me, man. No matter what I've done, the reverend said Jesus has forgiven me." Floyd replied, and this made Goose blow up at him.

"Would you shut the fuck up, you baby-raping, saunimizing, sack of shit?!"

"I was just asking the guy a question, Goose." Floyd said, but their conversation was interrupted when an earthquake shook the ground. Robin saw his picture about to go flying out of his cell, and jumped up and grabbed it. The quake sent him into the bars, which he turned so that his shoulder would take the force of the blow. It hurt, but it was a love-tap compared to being hit in the head. Robin rubbed his shoulder, and grabbed the bars for support.

The others were shouting at the guard, begging to be let out.

"Come on, we're still people in here! Let us out!"

"Open the doors or we'll die!"

"Come on, push the damn button!"

All of a sudden, the quake stopped. The lights that had went out from the shaking flickered back on. They all looked around, braced for another quake.

"What was that?" asked Wayde. He pushed against the bars, reaching his arms out towards the exit.

"Come on! C.O.! C.O.! What the Hell's going on…"

Robin heard a noise come from Wayde's cell. It sounded like he was choking. But there had been another sound before it. Like the sound of a knife being drawn quickly over a stone.

"Wayde. Wayde!" Ben called, but there was no answer. The lights were broken in his cell, or at least had shut down. Ben sounded nervous as he spoke to Goose.

"Goose, you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. And I didn't touch him, you hear me? I didn't…"

The sound came again. Instead of going off instantly like Wayde's had, they flickered, and Robin got a glimpse of what had made that noise in Wayde's cell. It wasn't a knife over a rock.

It was a knife over their throats.

The creature that soon finished off Goose looked to Robin like a ballet dancer, judging by the way it moved. It had no neck. Instead, a strange contraption that rose up from its shoulders had the head bolted in place, so that it could only pivot up and down. Instead of hands and feet they had swords sharp enough that they could easily walk on ceilings, and were thin enough to fit through air vents, which was how they got in. Their bodies were as gray as their weapons, and Robin was horrified as the one in Goose's cell shoved one blade into the man's head, coming out through the other side to pin him against the wall. Ben, who couldn't see what was happening to Goose, instead watch as Floyd was decapitated by one of the creatures without even uttering a sound. The lights went out all at once, and Robin and Ben were plunged into darkness. Their eyes soon adjusted to the dimness, and Ben talked to Robin, sounding desperate as he searched for a way out.

"Come on, we gotta get out of this shithole before those things get us too. Shit…"

One of them landed behind him, and he shook the bars, trying to get them to loosen up.

"It's in here, man. It's in here! Help me, help me…"

He heard what sounded like cicadas but much deeper, and the man's body seemed to fly back, as though something was tugging at him.

_"Helllllllp!!!"_

Robin heard much more activity in his cell. He heard what sounded like squelching, and he shuddered. They were eating him. He prayed that he had been dead when they began their unholy feast.

He heard the things scratching at the vent in his cell. Frantically he looked for a way out. His answer came with a snarling beast that ran past his cell. Robin jumped back, and watched with amazement as his cell door fell to the ground in two pieces, having been sliced clean through by some unknown force.

He saw a sword break through the vent, and decided to figure out the mystery after he had escaped. Walking to the other cells, he checked in each one, hoping to see survivors.

There were none.

He saw Floyd's headless body pinned up on the wall over his bed. Robin saw how his arms were stuck out, how his feet were together. Someone or some_thing_ had stuck his decapitated corpse on the wall like Jesus Christ.

Robin looked away from the macabre scene, and saw that Wayde's cell was open. Walking over to it, he saw a shiv implanted in his chest. He had committed suicide. Robin didn't blame him. Asking for forgiveness, he gripped the weapon and pulled it out in a swift jerking motion. Wayde made a choking noise and tried to sit up, blood dripping from his mouth as he reached towards Robin. The Boy Wonder stepped away from the man, a look of terror on his face.

Within a second, Wayde's body fell back down on the bed. Robin shivered. He had been close enough to touch him…

Robin shook his head. He had no time for thoughts like that. Holding the shiv so that the blade pointed behind him when his arms hung loosely by his sides. He ran over to the gate that would lead him out of the slaughterhouse that his cellblock had become.

A guard ran up to the gate. He was white, and had the air of someone who was used to being obeyed. He shined a clip-on flashlight in Robin's eyes, and he moved his arm up to shield them.

"Back in your cell, inmate. Everything's under control."

His statement was contradicted by the creature that shoved his sharpened leg through his head. The unlucky guard had blood spew from his mouth, and Robin looked away from the grisly scene. He finally looked up, and jumped to the side. Some manner of beast hit the gate and sent it flying backwards to hit the wall behind him, which was about thirty feet away. Robin looked up, trying to catch a glimpse of the thing, but it was gone. Robin shrugged it off as sheer dumb luck and ran into the control room. A sinister voice echoed throughout the room, but Robin couldn't understand what they were saying. When he looked up, he saw dozens of green cat eyes staring at him, each glowing with their own ethereal light, giving them an eerie appearance. The voice became clearer, and Robin looked around for the source.

_"We've been waiting for you."_

Robin couldn't find anything that could make the voice. _I must be going mad._ He thought to himself. He then realized he was mad. But there were other things to worry about know. Like how to escape from the monstrosities that were breaking into the cell. Robin saw through the window that he had forgotten the one thing he wanted out of his cell.

The picture.

He charged into the room and snatched it up. Flying to the door on the other side, he went through and slammed it shut. He heard the creatures scraping against the door, and backed away. If they could pierce the concrete ceiling, they could surely go through the metal door with ease. He looked at his picture. He saw the Titans looking at him, their faces happy as they seemed to pierce into his very soul. He felt a tear come to his eye at the knowledge that he would never see them again. Someone called to him down the hall, and he looked up from his reverie.

"Come on, I know a way out!"

Robin got a look of happiness, and gently put the picture in his back pocket, and velcroed it shut, so as to not loose the only thing he held dear in this place of death. He saw a man turn down a hallway, and upon reaching the turnoff, he watched as a cave-in blocked his way out. He clenched his fist. He needed to get out of here. He wanted more than anything to visit his friend' graves. He missed them so much…

Robin heard someone come up behind him. Turning around, shiv at the ready, he saw an exhausted guard. He was bald, black, and even a fool could tell that he was scared out of his mind.

"Thank God I made it into the light." He said, holding on to the bars that separated the two. "I think I'm safe in the light. You have to get me out of here, you have to…"

Before he could finish his plea, two swords impaled him through the chest at different angles. He tried to scream, but only a bubble of blood came out of his mouth as he was bashed repeatedly against the bars. After smashing the corpse a couple of times, the creature dropped the body and clung back to the ceiling. A door to the control room that commanded the gate that the guard had come from was locked, but it collapsed down, giving Robin access to the room. He found a radio that was receiving a transmission. An American accent blared out from the speaker, and Robin could tell from the way the cables were cut that he couldn't respond to the calls for help.

"Hello? Can anybody hear me? I'm trying to get out, but it's bloody Hell up here. There's somethin' up here with me, but every time I shine the light at it, everything scampers out of the way. Maybe it's the… shit!"

Robin heard gunfire from the radio, and three shots later the voice came back.

"I think I got it. Shit, it's like some sorta spider with swords. Goddamn inmates are behind this I know it. Is anybody listening to me? Well maybe I better stay up hear where I'm…"

He heard the sword slit the man's throat, heard the choking sounds as he tried to draw breath to his cut trachea. Robin couldn't believe what was happening. What was going on? What were these creatures? And how was he going to get out alive?

How would he live with himself if he really did kill the Titans?

He shook his head, but felt the small weight of the picture in his pocket. He looked at it again, and could almost feel them looking at him.

Point of fact, one of them was.

Robin turned around and was staring face-to-face with Terra. A strange golden light emanated from her like she was a light bulb, while all other light around him went out. She began speaking to him in an angry tone, her hands on her hips as she raved at her one-time leader.

"What were you thinking, Robin? Why would you those things to us? Why?"

She disappeared, and Robin grabbed at the space she had just occupied.

"Terra, I'm sorry, okay? I'm really am sorry." He said, his voice shaking with pent up sobs. "I don't know what happened, but…"

He saw a flashback. He was walking down the hallway of Titan's Tower. He heard Terra say. "Is that you, Beast Boy?" he saw her lying on the ground, her head beaten so that pieces of her skull poked through her skin. Blood matted her hair in clumps that spread out over the soaked carpet, like a death halo around her. Her eye was turned up, not showing only the white, but as though she was rolling her eyes at him. Except that one eye had been bashed into her head. The other looked as though she was crying blood as Robin stood stock still by the sight he was seeing.

He snapped back to reality with a jolt, horrified by what he had seen. But what was it that he had seen? The aftermath of the killer? The aftermath of him? He wished to God that it was the former.

Looking around the room, he found a piece of paper that turned out to be a map of the first floor of the aptly named Death House. Ransacking the room for another, he found another map for the Death House second story. Now that he could finds out where he was, he folded them up and slipped them into his pocket.

He walked over to some monitors, and turned them on. He had remembered his initial need to survive the horrors of Abbott. Switching on the monitor, he saw what looked like the visitors center. He watched as the same creature that had freed him from the cellblock dash across the monitor. He looked to the other one, trying to get his mind off of what Terra had said to him. On the second screen, he saw what appeared to be the showers. Everything looked clear in there, so he decided to search for anything to help him survive there.

He pushed the button that would open the gate that the lone security guard had met his fate upon. As it swung open, it stopped when it hit the remains of the man. Robin watched as something stabbed the C.O.'s shoulder and dragged him to the ceiling. He saw the feet dangling as whatever it was carried the carcass across the ceiling, into another air vent to feed. The gate, now free from obstruction, continued to open, and Robin walked through, shiv at the ready as he walked through the gate. He stopped. There was another hallway that led into darkness, with a light at the end. He had to search there before he could continue on.

Walking down the hall, he reached the patch of darkness, and he heard something scurry about. He gripped his weapon tighter as he increased his pace. He heard the sound of the bass cicadas behind him, and he broke out into a run, trying desperately to reach the light before whatever it was got him. He heard the clanking of its sharpened feet on the ground, and Robin ran even faster, adrenaline making him achieve speeds that he never knew were possible. He rolled into the light just as he heard something whoosh by were his neck had been before he curled up into a ball. As he stood up, he whirled around, ready to fight whatever it was that had pursued him. But there was nothing. Only silence filled the hall, and Robin became afraid. He saw doors on either side of him. One led to the maintenance room, and another door was unmarked. He went through the unmarked one, making sure to close the door behind him so that whatever it was could come in after him. He was in almost total darkness, the only light coming from a window that was around the corner. Walking over to it, he saw the full moon shining brightly at him, but that wasn't all he saw.

He saw Cyborg's face in the moon, his real eye showing the same anger that Terra had only a minute ago.

Robin saw the golden glow coming from behind him, and turned to see the mechanical hero standing behind him. He was surrounded by six of the sword creatures so that they made a hexagon pattern, their swords over their chests like they were about to be buried. Cyborg spoke with intensity to Robin, his words cutting into the Boy Wonder's spirit like a knife.

"What did we do, Robin? We would all be happy, and you always had to mess it up!"

_"Noooo!!!"_

Robin jumped at one of the closest creatures, his weapon upraised to stab the things that had his friend surrounded. He struck thin air as they and Cyborg disappear. Robin growled with rage as he gripped the shiv tightly. He stopped all noise when he heard the sounds of a struggle coming from one of the doors behind him. He turned and went up to the door to his right, and he heard someone scream before it was cut of by the sound of the low-pitched cicadas. He knew what that meant. He gripped the shiv tighter, Ready to slash out at anything that tried to jump at him. He pushed open the door quickly, pulling back his hand to strike. Nothing jumped out at him. But he saw movement on the floor. Stepping inside, he turned on the lights.

And nearly threw up.

He saw the most gruesome sight that he had ever laid eyes on. There was blood in trails everywhere, not in puddles but long dry rivers as though something had been drug through them. There was blood leading into an air vent, with some fresh drops dripping onto the floor below. The movement he had seen was one poor soul who happened to have been sliced in half. He was leaving masses of the red liquid behind him, and Robin took pity on the man. Walking over to him, he rammed the shiv into his heart, ending his pain forever. He heard Starfire's voice speak to him kindly.

"You did the right thing, Robin."

Robin looked up, but saw no one. He pulled out his weapon from the man, and ransacked the room for anything valuable. All he found was batteries and four clips of revolver bullets. Robin had seen them before. All one had to do was pop out the chamber, stick the clip in, push a button, pull out the holder, close the chamber, and viola. Your revolver had six more shots. Naturally you had to remove the expended shells, but since this happened when you popped out the chamber automatically, it went without saying. Figuring he might need them later, he gathered them up and put them in his pocket. Next to this, he found a belt with a holster on it. It was the old western type that had the hole in the bottom so that it wouldn't snag on the inside when you needed to pull it out quickly. It also had many pieces of leather strips that made little rings around the front to store extra ammunition. Finding several bullets already in this, he figured that the gunpowder in them would be good to start a fire with. Putting this on, when he stuck the shiv into the holster, it made an excellent makeshift sheath. Now that he had both hands free. He headed back to where he saw Terra. Armed with his new tools, he gripped the weapon but left it in the make-believe scabbard. He didn't hear any rustling sounds as he passed through the darkness again. He wound up back at the gate next to the control room that had shown him his blonde-headed friend. He then remembered the showers, and headed back with a sigh. Returning back to where he saw Cyborg, he went left instead of right this time. Upon reaching the place, he entered to find no one. He decided to search all the lockers for supplies. In one were more batteries. In another was a body of a C.O. Robin jumped back from the sight as the corpse fell on him. He pushed it off with a sob of horror, and backed into one of the benches. He found there two bottles of what would become his main healing source.

Recently, there had been several trial medicines to heal wounds faster. One in particular had been astoundingly effective, healing small lacerations and helping out larger one's almost instantly with no documented side effects. It was said to be able to bring back the dead, and being the clever doctors that they were, had called it Xombium. Robin thought it rather ironic considering his situation. Looking at the marks from his fight at the docks, he opened a bottle and took one of the pills without liquid and, lo and behold, he watched as they healed up slightly, enough that they didn't pain him whenever he moved anymore. He smiled at this new discovery, having found a quick way to heal himself. That would be necessary for surviving through this nightmare. He put them in the opposite back pocket as the picture, which had one all its own. Robin knew that he would need a pack if he was going to carry enough provisions to last him for any length of time. But for now, this would last him.

Walking out of the showers, he was startled by a phone ringing. It was an old rotary dial phone that was painted pitch black, but the polish made it glisten like it was armor. He recovered from his shock, and walked over to it. He was about to pick it up when he hesitated. Did he really want to hear what was on the other end? He decided he did and picked it up.

He wished he hadn't.

Starfire's voice came out of the speaker, and Robin could almost smell the urgency in her voice.

"Robin, you have to get out of there. That place is worse than a prison, it's so much worse. It will consume you if you don't get out now. Hurry Robin! Run; run as fast as you can! Go!"

He slammed the phone back on its base, panting hard as he tried to make sense of Starfire's words. She had said that this place was worse than a prison. What did she mean? Maybe referring to the creatures that were ravaging the complex?

He put all this in the back of his mind. He'd figure it out, after he was better equipped to survive. Again heading back to where he had seen Terra, Robin for the final time took the path that the unfortunate guard had come from. After walking for a short distance, he came to another T-junction in the path. On his left was a door labeled "Electrical". This door was locked, so Robin took the right door, and ended up in another hallway, with a hallway in the far right corner, stairs in the far left corner, and bathrooms between him and the hall. Walking toward the hall, he saw a guard drag himself across the floor. One of the creatures that had taken the lives of his cellmates walked slowly beside him, opposite of Robin. The Boy Wonder could only watch as the creature stepped on the man's head, its blade piercing through to the ground. Stepping back, it stabbed him again in the head with one of its arms. Pulling it out, it held it horizontally, with the sharp end pointed at robin, the creature staring at him over the width of the blade. It suddenly charged him, and Robin pulled out his shiv, ready for combat. The creature swiped at his head, but Robin ducked and ran it through the heart with his weapon. The creature flopped onto the ground, waving its limbs back and forth in its death throes, although it had already been deceased. When it finally was still, Robin approached it slowly. Reaching over, he grabbed the shiv and jerked it out. There was blood on the weapon, which told Robin that these things were at least partially alive, which meant that he could kill them. The monster didn't attempt to get back up, so Robin turned his attention to the dead C.O. He saw a paper in his hands. Sheathing his weapon, he picked it up. It had writing on the front and back, and Robin read one side that had an urgent note scribbled on it.

**_To whoever reads this…_**

****

**_It's armageddon! Have to get out of Abbott and off this island. Cash and I going to S-block and then Radio Bldg. Gotta send S.O.S. before things get worse. Gonna need a lot of guys to fight our way there, so come on if you can…_**

****

**_-JT_**

Robin was glad for the information. Now he had something to work towards. The other side was written in small fine print, and Robin squinted his eyes, wondering who would take their time to write this. He read the note, grateful for the insight it gave him.

**_Slayer_**

****

**_I first witnessed these creatures jumping out of the ground itself. Their heads are detached from their torso, held aloft by hideous contraptions. Their limbs have been replaced by blades of the sharpest steel. To my eyes, they seem to be a manifestation of decapitation, yet it seems improbable anyone had their head cut off in Abbott. I suppose on Carnate, anything is possible. I have dubbed these monstrosities Slayers._**

Robin noticed several drawings of the creatures, and wondered who would have the time, or even then, the motivation to document the things. Whatever the case, he slipped it into the pocket with the Xombium bottles, and was about to go down the stairs when he heard a fight going on in the bathroom to his right.

"Die, die you fucker, die!"

Robin heard the anguished squeal of the newly named Slayer, and the door was kicked open by a C.O. He had an even cut all the way around, and was toting a revolver with him. Recovering from his shock, he pointed the gun at Robin.

"What are you doing out here, inmate? One move and I'll blow your fucking head off!"

Robin grabbed his shiv, but did not bring it out. He heard Starfire's voice speak to him, followed by a sinister one that sounded more malicious than anything Robin had ever heard.

"Give him a chance, Robin."

_"Make… him… suffer…"_

Robin threw off the malicious voice, and held in the urge to strike. After a few seconds, the guards lowered his weapon.

"Ah, to Hell with protocol. This place has already gone to shit. We can last longer if we stick together, but you will follow my orders, understand?"

"Completely." Robin said. He knew better than to argue with someone that had offered peace after pointing a gun at him.

"Alright. From what I've seen, these things are allergic to light. There's a flashlight in the rec room down the hall. Go and get, but no funny stuff, or I will gun you down, comprende?"

"Yessir."

"Good. Now go and get it. I'll stay here and make sure none of those bastards follow you. Hurry up. The quicker we get out of here the better."

Robin went down the hallway, and saw three bodies spread out on the floor. The blood that they were lying in was fresh. Robin unsheathed his weapon and continued on down the hall to the door at the very end. He opened the door to find a dark room. Searching blindly for the light switch. Finding it, he flipped it on and surveyed the massacre in the room.

There were two tables. One had a guard that had been slit open from the chest to the belly. Two others were sitting in a corner, one with a sword through his neck, another with his head removed. Robin's foot touched something, and looking down, he saw the missing part staring at him, the eyes wide with fear, the mouth permanently frozen open in a death scream. Robin looked away and lunged at the flashlight sitting on the table. Snatching it up, it was the same kind the other guard had been using before he was lobotomized by the creatures roaming Abbott. The light bulb and reflector curved at a 90-degree angle, with a clip just below the angle to slip it on something. The batteries were inserted at the bottom, and the cap was screwed on, the switch on the bottom to turn it on. Robin ran out of the door and slammed it shut as though the head might follow him. Leaning against it, he panted heavily, beads of sweat popping up on his forehead. He put the shiv back in the makeshift casing, and slipping the flashlight onto his shirt so that the light would shine in front of him when he turned it on, Robin headed back to the guard, who saw the flashlight on Robin's chest.

"Good, you got a light. We gotta head downstairs, but stay out of my way. If I have to shoot more of those fuckers, I will not hold my fire on your account, you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Hitler." Robin mumbled under his breath, and followed the guard down the steps to the lower floor. The guard headed for a control room directly to the left of the stairs. Unlocking it, he went in and pushed the button to open the two gates that blocked their way. Going through them both, Robin followed him to a large room with a surveillance room, two large pillars in the center for support, and a door to the far left that had "ELECTRIC CHAIR" written on the wall next to it. There was another gate to the left of this on the side they had entered from, but just then some Slayers made their presence known by jumping through the window above them to the right. Robin unsheathed his weapon and pounced at the closest one, driving the shiv into its belly. The creature fell back in its agony, and Robin saw another slice through a door ahead of him. He threw the shiv like a throwing knife, and it thudded into the Slayer's chest, which fell back flailing its limbs like the first had.

Robin didn't notice that the other one had gotten back up and was about to behead him until the guard shot it in the side. It screeched with pain and rage, but the officer kept filling it with lead until it collapsed in its death throes.

Robin looked at him, who was pointing the smoking barrel at the body, ready to fire again should it move. When it didn't, he put the weapon down.

"You fight well, inmate. Where'd you learn to throw like that?"

"Long story."

"Ah, well. Go get your weapon and let's get out of this Hellhole. I'll tell you one thing; we better stay away from the fucking basement. If its bad up here, down there is gonna be like the mouth of Hell."

Robin was retrieving his weapon when he again heard Starfire's voice.

"I knew you had it in you. We all did."

Robin looked up, hoping for a glimpse of the girl, but saw nothing on the inside of the room that the Slayer had occupied. The lights were on, and Robin saw some Xombium bottles and the thing he needed most.

There was an old, small army pack that fit him perfectly, along with a pair of socks and boots that seemed crafted just for him. Putting these on, he looked at the pack. It had one big pocket on the top, with a smaller one on the outside. It had a green and brown splotch camouflage pattern, and instead of zippers they folded over and buttoned shut. Two small pockets stuck out from the sides, and in one he put his batteries, in the other as many bottles of the medicine that he could, for a total count of five bottles of Xombium and six flashlight batteries. Now all he needed was food and water, but he would ransack the cafeteria for those. Now that he had his supply pack, he turned towards the exit.

And stopped dead in his tracks.

The door that the Slayer had broken down was on the right side of the room as you entered, and the left side had a table directly in-between the far wall and the center of the room. Laid on this table was Raven lying on her back, blood dripping from her neck onto the floor since her head hung over the side, blood matting her hair into large clumps the dripped more of the red fluid onto the ground. But this wasn't what had caught his attention.

There was a gaseous entity that was standing behind the table so that Raven was in-between Robin and the figure. He looked thin, but Robin saw that he had a six-pack, considering the figure wasn't wearing a shirt. It was bald, and had a devilish glow where its eyes should have been. It spoke to Robin, the voice raspy, not like Dave's had been, but as though he had a sore throat.

"I always looked at the bodies when I was done."

The figure and Raven disappeared in a flash of light, and Robin stood watching the spot where they had been. The guard snapped him out of his stupor.

"Inmate, what's wrong?"

Robin shook his head.

"Nothing… it was nothing."

"Alright. Now let's get out of…"

Both of them turned to the door that led to the electric chair, terrified of the voice that was emanating from it.

"Oh, God, make it stop, _make it stop!!!_"

The guard shook with fear. "What the Hell was that? Ah, I gotta check it out, stay here."

The guard ran over and opened the door. Robin followed him, and saw as electricity coursed through his body as someone sat in the electric chair.

"Please, make it stop!"

Suddenly, the man and the electricity disappeared, leaving the dead guards body lying on the ground. Robin cautiously walked in, and picked up the revolver. All the shells had been used. Opening the chamber, they were ejected simultaneously, and he used one of his clips to reload the firearm. Flicking his hand, the chamber snapped shut, and now Robin was in possession of a very important asset to his cause. Now that he had a gun, He didn't feel as vulnerable, but he was by no means ready to survive on his own. Still being cautious, he stuck the gun in his belt in such a way so that the grip hung on the outside edge, with the barrel facing at the ground behind him. He walked into the open gate that was to his right as he exited the chamber. He heard another phone ring, and he answered it without hesitation, hoping to hear Starfire's voice again.

He was disappointed to hear another inmate talking.

"Hey, ma. Yeah, they said I can talk as long as I want. Listen, I wanted to tell you that I love ya, ma. Now don't cry, ma, this is what needs to happen. And the reverend told me, I won't feel a thing…"

Robin hung up the phone, pitying the man he had just heard. He looked over and saw to his right another cell, and on the wall to his right, another door. Blocking it was a coke machine, and Robin passed up the cell, seeing that there was nothing in it of value. He gripped the vending machine on either side, and his muscles bulged as he pulled it away from the door. After pulling it for a distance, he went through the door and ended up in a hall that led to the foyer. Arriving there, he saw several metal detectors to his left. There was a control room in the far right corner, and the ceiling was made almost completely of glass. He walked over to the control room door, and found it to be locked. Without warning, two blades pierced the door and tore it off its hinges. The Slayer threw the door to the side, and snarled at Robin with a bestial quality. Robin pulled out the revolver, but the creature was much too fast, jumping onto the ceiling and scurrying about. Robin fired two shots at it, and missed both times. He stopped firing and aimed his gun at it, waiting for it to hold still. He saw a mouse run across the floor, and he saw that the Slayer looked over at the movement. Seeing his chance, he sent the remaining four shots into the creature, which lost its grip on the ceiling and fell onto the floor, and didn't flap its limbs. Robin put a single bullet in the chamber after ejecting the others, and shot it directly into the creature's head. It exploded, sending blood everywhere as it jerked spasmodically. Robin decided it was dead, and he reloaded his gun using another clip. Replacing it back into his belt, he saw that a statue had been placed in the small hallway. He pushed the button, and the gate to the foyer closed, as the one that led to his destination tried to. It hit the statue and bounced back shut. Robin then saw a solution to his problem. Pushing the button again, the one to the foyer opened, and he entered the access way. Moving the statue so that it would block the door, he went back and activated the gates again. The one to the foyer tried to close, but the statue blocked its path. It continued to try and close while the other opened. Now that he could go through, he squeezed his way past the statue and continued into the dark hallway. Turning on his flashlight, it shone at the floor, and he walked towards a gate that had been torn to pieces. He stared as the creature that had freed him from his cell ran towards him, he pulled out his revolver, but it seemed puny to him against the thing that now charged at him. To his surprise, it turned to the right and ran down a hallway that he hadn't seen. He walked to where it had turned, and saw that it was gone. He had his pistol at the ready as he walked cautiously further down the hall, coming to another hallway to his left. Looking down this from the corner. He saw a door at the end of the short hall. Walking up to it, he opened the door to find a console in front of him that had a big yellow button in the center. There was a window in front of him, and it showed the gas chamber, which had a C.O. strapped in it. He heard the sinister voice again.

_"He needs to die. Finish him."_

"Don't, Robin! Let him live!"

"Starfire?"

He turned around, and saw no one. He thought of two possible solutions. One was that the spirits of the Titans had come back, though whether it was to punish him, guide him, or to see him remained to be discovered.

The other was that he was going insane.

Robin looked to the man, who was struggling to escape. He heard the voice again.

_"He must die…"_

Robin ran from the room before he gave in to the evil side of his mind. He was headed for the hallway where he had seen the creature, but a Slayer dropped down in front of him. Robin blasted it before it had a chance to attack and rounded the corner, hearing another one approach from behind him. He fired blindly over his shoulder, and figured from the screech that he had hit it. He looked down the hall that the creature had taken and saw it running down the hall, its breathing sounding like growls as it ran away from the Boy Wonder. Reloading his revolver with another clip, he gave chase to the beast, and came upon two more Slayers. He fired at them, killing them before they had a chance to react. Now that he had only one clip left, he decided to save it in case of an emergency. Taking it out of his pocket, he placed it in the large pocket of his pack. He heard a noise behind him, and whirled to see the Slayer that he had fired at behind him was still alive. Blood ran from a hole in its shoulder, and it charged at him, the sound of cicadas reverberating as it locked onto its prey. Robin aimed his revolver at it, using the last shot to fire into its head. This didn't slow it down, and Robin jumped back, but not before it slashed his chest. The pain from it made him cry out, and he brought out his shiv just as the thing was about to slice him in two. Blocking the blade with his makeshift knife, he shoved it back and chopped off one of its arms at the elbow. The thing tried wildly to hack at him with its remaining arm, seeming to not need its head to find the frightened boy. Robin ducked under the blow and shoved the shiv into its heart, and the Slayer stiffened up, then went limp. Robin let its mass slide off of the weapon, and replaced it back in its sheath. Replacing his gun in its place, he looked at the carcass, and went into the door to his left as he faced where he came in.

This took him into the gas room, with the chamber itself in the center. He looked at the window and saw the gaseous specter stare at him, arms crossed. It shook its head as though Robin had made a stupid mistake, and pushed the button that activated the gas.

The man in the chamber sniffed the air.

"Oh, God, gotta… fuckin' little…"

He managed to break the bonds that were weakened with age. He put his face to the glass that allowed him to see outward, looking at Robin as the chamber filled up with the toxic fumes.

"Hey you… hurry up… Shut off the gas…"

"How? I'll try to open the door!"

Robin grabbed the handle and pulled with all his might.

The door didn't budge.

Robin continued to pull on it until he saw the misty apparition form to his side.

"So the Boy Wonder wants to save people even after they condemned him? How noble."

Robin let go of the door and faced the phantom.

"Open the door."

"As you wish, but first tell me… Did you kill your friends? Are you the murderer we think you are?"

"I am _not!_"

"Very well, then. Enjoy yourself while it lasts. I'm sure your little whore is very proud of you right now."

_"Bastard!!!"_

Robin lunged at the ghost, wanting to throttle him with his bare hands. But he simply passed through the phantom, and it chuckled at his efforts.

"Don't like to hear about your victims, do you? I'd learn to control yourself before something… gets loose."

With that, the ghoul disappeared into the floor, and the door to the chamber opened. Gas poured out, and Robin saw the lifeless body of the guard slump down to the floor. The vapors began to fill the air, and Robin held a hand over his head as he tried to find a way out. He saw a Slayer come through the door to the witness area that was separated from the gas room by a sheet of reinforced glass. But this wasn't like the other Slayers. It was tall, and was a dark green where the others were gray. Instead of a single blade it had two on each hand, and it ran these together, making sparks fly everywhere as it stared at its next meal. It dashed at the glass and fell back when it didn't break through. It repeated the process until the glass began to give way, cracks shooting out like snakes under the pressure. Finally, with a mighty lunge, it broke through, and Robin dashed by it through the hole it had made. It looked around for him, and soon keeled over dead from the haze of poison.

Robin was on his hands and knees, sucking in fresh air like cold spring water on a hot day. He looked around and found more revolver clips. Picking them up, he put them in his pack. Now he had eight of the clips, plus he found a box with forty-eight individual shots. Sticking these into the slots of his belt, he went out the doorway that the double bladed Slayer had come in from. The floor was again tiled like the foyer, reminding Robin of an unholy chessboard, and all his pieces had been removed. To his right was a wall with a smashed pipe, and to his left was an open gate that led to some stairs, and a door to the left of it while you were facing the stairway. He found that the door was locked, and so he went towards the stairs. A Slayer clambered on the ceiling towards him and dropped down in front of him. Robin shoved the shiv into it with the speed and grace of a figure skater. Pulling it out, he kicked it over the edge to fall to the story below. He heard its tormented cries slowly cease as it landed on the floor. He heard the voice that had emanated from the electric chair.

"They won't leave you alone 'til you do it."

Robin looked around and wasn't surprised to see no one. He continued on down the stairs that turned around halfway down. Arriving at the bottom, he saw shelves to his right and a passageway to his left that curved around behind the wall that the shelves leaned on. Turning on his flashlight, he saw something that would help him out greatly when he was surrounded by darkness.

Flares.

He stuck three in the smaller pocket, needing to keep the flammable objects away from the ammunition. He also found on the shelves a map of the basement and sub basement. Considering this a good find, he continued onto the hallway and turned the corner to the right. A door was there, and he went through it, hoping that perhaps he could find answers in the depths of Abbott State Penitentiary.

{}{}{}

Go to the website mentioned in the previous chapter and go to Creatures under Game. The top screen is a double bladed Slayer, and the bottom one is a single bladed Slayer.

'Til the next chapter, which is titled "Descending".


	3. Descending

Chapter two of "The Suffering". This is where we get more detail about Robin's bestial transformation. This only takes place in his mind. This quotation from Clem's Notebook might help explain it better.

**_The Creature_**

_**I saw this creature in a dream, and he seems somehow connected to these horrific events. In my dream, I witnessed the inmate Torque transform into this beast, and lay waste to all around him. Since the cataclysm I have seen Torque go berserk, killing beasts with his bare hands. But, of course, he himself does not actually transform into a beast. He merely becomes intensely enraged. The meaning of my dream I leave for the reader to discern.**_

This is from the game itself. Which reminds me... 

I do not own The Suffering or Teen Titans.

Anyway, that should clear up any questions about what happened at the docks. Enjoy.

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Robin walked down the passageway that led to the boiler. He was in total darkness, as all the lights had been destroyed. Turning on his flashlight in the very beginning, he came to a right turn where a door had once been. His light shone on a switch and pulling it turned on some lights in the basement. He was greatly relieved, and turned off his light to save battery power. He found two lockers that looked as though they had taken quite the beating. The doors were dented so heavily that they couldn't close all the way. Inside one he found another box of bullets and two clips. His individual bullet slots were full, but he picked up the two clips and put them in his side pocket, in case he needed to reload quickly. He had his weapons in their makeshift holsters, and this left his hands free to move things around. He found some more flares, but he only took one, saving the other three for the return trip should he make one. His supplies now consisted of numerous clips in his pack, seven flashlight batteries, and six Xombium bottles. His shiv was in its sheath, and he had his firearm hooked on his belt so the butt was holding onto the girdle so it wouldn't fall out. He went through the doorway, and saw a hallway that had another T-junction at the end. Walking towards it, he saw the thing that had led him to the gas chamber run from left to right across the junction. Robin was about to pass it off as seeing things, until he saw the light that was dangling from the roof swaying, even though there was no wind nearby.

Robin brought out his revolver and slowly advanced towards where it had disappeared. There was only one door it could have gone through, and he took it, and ended up in the boiler room, where some gas pipes began to overflow with the fumes. Robin knew what this meant, and holstered his revolver. Soon, the gaseous spirit that had insulted Starfire before appeared, and Robin glared at the specter with fury, and it seemed to enjoy this.

"Still upset about your little whore, eh? I don't think I've introduced myself. They call me Hermes, the deceased executioner of Abbott. What a coincidence that I was named after the God that led the dead to Hades. Almost ironic. The only way to survive here is to kill everything. I'm one of the few who will admit that."

As he slipped back into the pipes, an electrical surge passed through some wires that were coming from the same place of the wall as the pipelines that Hermes had appeared from. It reached the electrical box, and suddenly a man broke through the paneling. He was groaning horribly, and it chilled Robin to the bone the way he tried to escape the wires binding him to the electrical torture. He was overweight, and Robin could tell that he was a ghost, since nothing could have survived entangled in the wires like he was. He had on a long sleeve what looked to Robin to be a dress shirt. He couldn't see what else he was wearing, since he was so entangled in the wires. He turned to Robin, and the Boy Wonder noticed that he had sever burns on his scalp and wrists.

"I've been here a long time. I don't know much about this place but I do know, you bein' here ain't no coincidence."

As the electricity took over his body again, he jerked spasmodically, and Robin could almost feel his pain as the poor soul's torture continued. He saw a light come on in a window, and saw a doctor their. He looked as though he was coming from a 3D projector, and Robin saw the stereotypical reflector on his head that was used to reflect the light onto whatever part of the body they were looking at. He had on what appeared to be a blood soaked surgeon's apron on, but Robin couldn't tell for sure, since the man was in black and white, as all projectors were in the 1960's. He spoke to Robin with the air of what was almost a cross between morbid and jovial tone, his voice bouncing around like he was a schoolboy.

"And so the specimen arrives. I would stay and chitchat, but we have more urgent buisness to attend to. Tell me, what happened when you supposedly 'blacked out'? Do you see flashes of what happened, maybe, recalling what happened in small pieces?"

Robin saw something like the doctor was saying flash in front of him. It was the image of Terra's beaten body, and Robin looked away with remorse.

"Yes, you know exactly what I mean. But tell me, what happens _every_ time your world goes black? Do you, shall we say, transform? Perhaps into a hideous monster that lives for nothing but the kill? Is that what destroyed your friends, Robin? I hope to find the answer. Perhaps I can even cure you. But first, I must see a little, oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Ah, yes! A little demonstration, if you will? Come on, Robin, give it a whirl!"

As if they were queued, Slayers dropped down from the ceiling, and looked up at Robin with the blank expression of a wild animal that has become a man-killer. Robin pulled out his shiv and revolver, ready to swing with the makeshift knife and shoot with the firearm when they came to him.

The Slayers obliged him.

One jumped back to the ceiling and scampered over to him. Unhooking its legs, it swung them at him like a pendulum of death, the blades ready to slice his head in two. Robin jumped back and fired with his revolver, hitting the creature in the leg. It screeched with agony, and he shot it again, hitting it in the shoulder. Losing its grip, it fell to the ground. Robin pounced at it and drove his shiv into its heart. He kicked it over the side, where it clanked to the ground, landing upon another that held its arms up, impaling it on its bladed hands. The Slayer threw its dead companion onto the floor, and ran to the steps that led to the catwalk that robin was standing on. It slashed at his head, but he drove the knife into its gut while shooting it in the head. It fell back, and Robin barely had time to duck under another attack from the ceiling. Robin rolled under the thing's legs and off of the catwalk to land on the grating that was the floor, which separated him from a monstrous cooling unit that the surface temp was in the hundreds of degrees. The Slayer dropped down, trying to land on his head, but he dodged out of the way, firing upon the thing as he jumped to the side. It fell on the grate with a thud, and did not get back up from its position on the floor. Robin had only one bullet left, and he replaced the gun back in its place. Armed with only his shiv, he slashed sideways as he cut into ones chest. Going back on the same path, he made another cut on its upper torso, and used the momentum from this strike to stab another one in the stomach. Ripping the weapon out in an upwards movement, he killed the one behind him and in front of him in one strike, the Slayer behind being disemboweled while the one in front was hit in an uppercut motion with the sharp piece of metal. Another came from the side, and Robin turned to meet this foe, but he sensed movement behind him and ducked his head. And the two Slayers ran each other through. One of them slashed his arm as it went down, and Robin yelled in pain. More Slayers came down from the ceiling, entering through the hole that Hermes was floating in. The specter spoke to Robin, trying to assist the doctor in his quest to see Robin's insanity break loose.

"I heard about your trial, you sick bastard. You're real lucky; I never got to snuff out a woman. I'm proud of my job, clearing out the filth of the earth. There's nothing like the pleasure of terminating a human life. But you already know that, don't you?"

The man trapped in the wires spoke next, and Robin realized that it was the same voice that he had heard coming from the electric chair.

"You had a girlfriend, right? Did you love her? You ever feel angry, wanna rip a man apart with your bare hands? Maybe you're not like me. Don't let this place do to you what it did to me. You gotta fight it."

The doctor spoke next, talking like a parent to a stubborn child.

"I can help you, Robin, I can make you well. But first, you have to show me. Go on, my boy. Give it a try for me, won't you?"

Robin slowly felt his grip on reality waken, and he fought harder, trying not to lose his cool as he tore through the packs of Slayers that threatened to overrun him at any moment. Jumping up, a Slayer that was in front of him stabbed one behind him. Robin gripped the shiv in both hands and drove it into the standing one's head, going through it and piercing into the body. It fell down flapping its limbs, and Robin got kicked in the shoulder by one of the blades. Ignoring his wound, he rounded on another group, yelling hoarsely as he went into the middle of them like a warm knife through butter. Hermes spoke again, still trying to make the boy lose his grip on what was real.

"Come on, you bastard, do it! You think you're stronger than us?"

"The doctor joined him, attempting to convince him like the Boy Wonder was an unruly child.

"Now now, I have to see what's wrong with you before I can treat it. Let it go, Robin. It will all be over soon."

The man in the wires spoke up next.

"Just do it. Let the killer out. We want to help you. Let it go. I already told you, they won't leave you alone 'til you do it."

Robin's fix on realism was loosening, and he could feel the change beginning to happen. Desperately, he tried to fight it off, slashing out with more force than ever against the mob of creatures that where attacking him. Hermes spoke to him one last time.

"Come on, Robin. Make your little whore proud."

This was the straw that broke the camel's back. Or broke Robin's sanity. The boy hollered out in rage at this latest insult, and almost willingly gave in to the beast that lurked inside of him. As he felt his body change, he could almost see Starfire looking at him with sadness and disappointment before the skin blocked his vision and the massacre of the Slayers began. His bladed left hand slashed out at the entities that the monster could sense all around it. The beast's hearing and sense of smell were so acute that it could have found its way around better than if it had eyes. The claws ripped through the masses of Slayers like paper, the sword impaling many and tossing the remains into others as it destroyed everything in its path, the fury and passion with which it fought making the doctor and Hermes grin, and making the man in wires shake his head sadly as they watched the carnage that Robin was wreaking on the creatures.

Robin punched one Slayer into a wall, whereupon he leaped on it with a snarl, tearing it apart with the ferocity of the lions of Tsavo. Sensing its demise, he pounced at another group, ripping limbs and throwing them left and right as in his mind the monster reigned destruction on the hapless zombies, their anguished cries of pain and rage falling on deaf ears as it turned them into a bloody wasteland of horrible confetti. He pinned one down by the arms, and it screeched at him in an attempt to make him back off. The maddened boy roared back at it before thrusting his hand into its head, throwing it into another that was approaching from the side. He leaped up and grabbed another one and ripped its arms off, his mind thinking that the monster had slashed them off in one blow.

Within minutes, all the Slayers were dead. The anger subsided, and Robin slowly regained his senses. Looking around at the devastation he had caused, he glared up at the doctor, his mask not allowing the sadistic surgeon to read his eyes. But the boy's body language told him all.

Very good, Robin, we've made a lot of progress today. But, be warned. A good thing only lasts so long."

With that, he turned around and gradually faded out as the projector slowly shut down. Before he disappeared completely, he looked over his shoulder at the boy.

"We'll talk about this more, in our next session."

The projector finally cut off, and Robin looked up to where Hermes had been. The man was gone, as was the apparition that had been in the wires. Robin was alone, standing in the middle of the destruction he had caused. He looked at his hands, which were red with blood, and clenched them into fists. He didn't want to continue on with his hands like they were, and just his luck, there was a small pool in a back corner that had formed from a dripping pipe. Robin rinsed all the blood off his hands, and wished he could rid himself of the horror that had killed the Slayers from himself just as easily.

He heard a noise, and he turned around. He saw that he had dropped his shiv when he had lost his mind, and now someone had skidded it over to him. Picking it up, he sheathed it and looked up to find who had done it. There was no one, but as he was about to head for the door across the room from the pool, he heard a voice. He clenched his fists again, not in anger, but in fear.

It was Beast Boy.

"Robin. Look at me, Robin."

Robin slowly turned around and saw the green changeling emitting not a golden glow, but a green one. He spoke in a mixture of horror and rage to the Boy Wonder, who had his head bowed as he listened to his dead friend tell him what he thought of the incident that had just happened.

"Robin, is that what fought Slade's robots at the pier? Is that what betrayed us to him? _Is it?!_"

"No..."

But the shape-shifter had already vanished, leaving Robin feeling worse than ever. He saw a vision like he had when Terra had spoken to him.

It was Beast Boy, but he was in the same condition as terra had been. His eyes were pure white, and the top of his skull had been bashed in. He was lying in a pool of blood, with Terra lying next to him, her dead hand clasped in his in a final embrace. He heard the changeling's troubled voice speak to someone.

"Don't do it, don't do it!"

Robin snapped his head up, breaking the sight from his mind. He tried to convince himself that he hadn't done it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it could have been prevented if he had done something. He was filled with grief that he would never see his team alive again. He had a silent prayer for them that they were happy, and walked to the door, taking out a Xombium pill from his pack. Gulping it down, he felt his wounds heal slightly, and took another, and they almost disappeared completely. He decided to let them heal the rest of the way on their own, and saw that he had used half of his first bottle. Since he had used up several to heal his lungs from the poison gas, he was surprised at how little he had used. There were about thirty pills per bottle, and he had used a lot, since the damage to his lungs was also happening to his heart. Since that was a vital organ, he had taken several, and had felt better than he could remember. Slipping the bottle back in the pack, he put it back on his back and continued on his way. Reaching the door, he found several more flares lying near a severed torso that looked as though its deceased owner had had it torn off by some sort of force. Robin hoped that it hadn't been him.

Picking up a flare, he looked at the only hallway to his left and saw that it was filled with water. He saw a rat just barely able to walk along the bottom with its claws, and knew that it wasn't too deep. He started up the flare using the striker that was on the head. Breaking this off, he sparked it against the head, and this in turn caught the gunpowder that was specifically designed to last a long time. Around five minutes was the length of time on the stick itself. With this, he set out into the hallway, the flare working like a charm to save him the flashlight battery power. The D-cell size that it ran on was hard to come by.

Robin saw that there were electric wires dangling into the water in the room ahead, and wondered why he wasn't being shocked. He figured that the electricity was off, and looked at the rest of the space. There were chains everywhere, looking to the Boy Wonder serve no purpose. He walked slowly through the place, stealth being his only good weapon in the dark dank corridor which he was in. Upon reaching the room, he saw that the only way through was to the right again. Turning here, he saw a short hall that turned left a few meters ahead. There was a pipe system running along the right hand side, and a Slayer was at the other end. It looked at Robin, then turned to the pipes. It slashed them open, sending steam blasting out all over, much to hot to pass through. It walked back down the bend, and Robin began to search for a way to shut off the steam. He saw a hand crank on the pipe, and turned it, closing off the pipe system and ultimately stopping the steam. He pulled out his revolver and loaded it with individual shots. Closing back the chamber, he performed a back-to-wall and slowly crept to the corner where the Slayer had disappeared. He saw that it was standing idly, a perfect target for Robin. Slowly bringing his gun level with its chest, he fired off a shot, and it whizzed into its chest, rupturing its organ and killing it instantly. It fell over without a sound, and Robin approached it, putting up his handgun. As he got closer to the dead Slayer, he heard a sound behind him, and looked over his shoulder to see a double bladed Slayer taking a swipe at his neck, aiming to behead him. Robin ducked out of the way and grabbed his shiv. He drove it into the large creatures gut and twisted it, and the thing chattered in pain as he jerked it out. It stumbled back, and Robin thrust it again into its gut, and the monster keeled over with a gurgle, blood pouring out of its wounds as it lay dying on the floor. Robin wiped his weapon on the creature's body and sheathed it. He was facing the pipes again, and to his left were some shelves. On them was some Xombium, which he left there since he didn't want to waste space, and a slip of paper that gave Robin insight on his next enemy.

**_Marksman_**

_**Based on the battery of rifles on its back and the blindfold around its head, this Marksman appears to be the reincarnation of a military firing squad. Abbott was originally a P.O.W. camp during WWII, so it seems likely that they would have executions of that sort. Indeed, there are stories of a rogue colonel who was to be court martialed but instead took his own life. Perhaps he is connected to these abominations.**_

Robin looked at the drawings of the thing that whoever had written this had also used their artistic ability to show how these creatures looked. As the paper had said, it did have a battery of rifles on its back, but they were attached to a piece of flesh that seemed to be able to turn in any direction. It had several bullet holes in it at various locations, and Robin saw that the blindfold was drawn with speckles of what he took to be blood on the piece of white cloth. One drawing demonstrated how it used the rifles in combat. The thing was kneeled down with a fist on the ground and one leg curled under it and the other sticking straight out, like it was playing some deadly variation of football. This made its back parallel with the ground, which in turn gave the rifles a good firing area. The rifles were pulled by some inexplicable means to face one direction, and when it stood up, the muscles relaxed, and the guns spread out so that they were pointing in different directions. Robin looked up from the paper and looked around himself slowly. This would be even deadlier than the Slayers. Since it had guns, it probably wouldn't be too stealthy, since all it had to do was mow down anything and everything in its path. He put the paper in his pack and set off for the corner, hand ready to grab at his weapons at the slightest movement. He turned the corner and saw that his path led upwards. The only way to reach the top of the ledge was to jump up and grab a hold of a set of lockers that were against it, then clamber the rest of the way up. He leaped for the top, and managed to grasp it, pulling himself up onto the apex of the lockers, and after that climbed onto the top of the ledge that he could see over standing flatfooted. As he stood up, he heard a voice coming from up ahead.

"What the fuck are you waiting for?"

There was a light ahead of him in a corridor perpendicular to the one he was in, the door already opened by someone. He saw one Marksman walk right to left across it, heading towards the voice. Robin was sickened by the thing. It was a rotten yellow color, reminding him of a smoker's teeth after a few cigarettes. It looked to be nothing but skin around its lower jaw, and he could see by the fact that its lips were curled out in a sinister grin that its teeth were blackened, like it hadn't brushed in years after chewing tobacco. As it disappeared, Robin brought out his revolver, which had so far been his best weapon, regardless of the training he had undergone. He thought to himself that his sensei didn't take into account whether or not his opponents had swords for hands and feet, or that one might have guns shoved into his back.

He advanced slowly, the firearm held out in front of him like a pro. He turned the corner gun first, and saw a C.O. with his hands tied behind his back around a wooden pole, effectively pinning him to it. He had a black blindfold around him, and Robin realized that he looked as though he was about to be executed by a firing squad. The man tried to break through his bonds, talking to the Marksman that he couldn't see.

"Where the fuck are you? Do it... fucking _do it!_"

"Don't worry, I'll get you..."

Before Robin could finish his sentence he heard the sound of multiple guns cocking at the same time. A split second later bullets tore out of the door to the right, hitting the man all over, his body jerking with the impact. When the fire stopped, he slumped down in death, and Robin watched as the Marksman emerged from its spot. It looked at the dead man and suddenly turned its rifles to face Robin. It seemed to look at him through the blindfold, and Robin shook off the fear of the thing. He aimed his revolver at it slowly but surely, and it roared at him, tensing up the guns on its back in what appeared to be an aggressive display. It got into its firing position, and aimed its guns once again at the Boy Wonder. Robin ducked behind the wall he had come around with barely enough time before the creature fired, its hail of bullets coming through the doorway like a storm of lead, effectively pinning robin down. He peeked around the corner and fired off a few shots at the beast, and managed to wound it, causing it to stop its rain of bullets and leap up to snarl in rage. Robin fired one shot at it, and it hit its head, taking off the top half of it. The creature slumped over, groaning with its dying breath as it fell to the floor, as dead as it had been when it had been executed. Robin cautiously walked over to it, and tapped it with his foot. It didn't move, so Robin went through the door that it came through. Two Slayers were around this corner, and he fired his last shot at one of them. Tossing the gun to the side, he snatched out his shiv and charged the creatures before they could react. He shoved his weapon into one's chest, and proceeded to throw it into its companion, which tossed it over its head without hesitation, Robin threw the weapon with blinding speed, burying it in its stomach until it penetrated through to the other side. The thing fell over with a gurgle, and Robin walked over to his gun. Sliding it back in its place, he grabbed his shiv and yanked it out, replacing it in its place. Now that the threat they had posed was gone, he took in his surroundings. There was a switch on the wall next to a gate, and when he threw it, some lights came on on the other side of the bars. Robin turned to walk through the semi-dark halls of what looked to be some sort of shop. Shining his flashlight around revealed it to be where they made the coffins for the executed prisoners. Robin shuddered as he found one that had his name on the lid of a sarcophagus that was made for his size.

Without warning, the room suddenly became bright as an electrical surge passed through the room. He shut off his light, and saw a Marksman walked by the exit that was in the far left corner as you came in from where he had fought the Slayers. It was walking hunched over up and down the hall that appeared to lead into the room that Robin had turned the lights on in. Robin wondered what this behavior meant, and it came to him like lightning, quick and sudden.

It was patrolling the hall.

This meant that it still was carrying out its former duty, which made Robin wonder what the Slayers were doing here. Robin brought out the shiv and hid behind a casket and waited for the opportune moment for which to strike. When he decided the thing hadn't seen him, he whistled, bringing its attention to the room. It walked in blindly, and Robin questioned whether it had intelligence or not. He decided to find out after he was safe, and chose the moment to lunge from his hiding place, thrusting the knife into the creature's head. He yanked it out and slashed it in the chest, and the monster fell down to the floor, barely making a noise when it hit the ground. Robin waited for a minute to see if anything else had heard the commotion. When nothing happened for a full minute, he proceeded to the hall that it had previously occupied. He went to the left, and around a corner that turned right he stopped. He hadn't gone through the way yet, as he had felt that something was out of place. He concentrated, using his martial arts senses to try and find the source of his hesitation. He knew this feeling. It felt like there was something amiss nearby, as though the air had been poisoned by evil...

He stepped into the room, and when nothing happened, he released his death-grip on his shiv. There were cells to his right, and he assumed this is what Ben had meant when he had explained the low to him. He saw that one was boarded up, and he also noticed that a door with tanks of helium or hydrogen next to it. Seeing as the door was locked, he decided to use the gas cylinders to his advantage. Pulling out his revolver, he fired at one, and the explosion tore apart the door, leaving the way clear. He also noticed that the boards blocking the way into one of the cells had been destroyed. He walked inside to find a human corpse in one corner, and it was holding a syringe that was glowing an unearthly green. Robin heard a voice in the cell that echoed throughout the cell, having almost a moaning quality to it as it spoke.

"My soul left me alone in here."

Robin looked around and saw no one. He was creeped out by the voice, when he saw the corpse move. He looked on in terror as it rose to its feet, a hideous glow in what were its eyes as it charged him, baring teeth that had all but rotted away. Robin was unable to get a good shot off in the small confines of the solitary cell, and he instead whacked the thing in the head as it approached him. It hissed at him, and crumpled to the ground. Robin aimed his revolver at it and sent the remaining bullet into its back, whereupon he reloaded the weapon using a clip. He was about to start firing again at the body, but something stayed his crazed assault. He felt a soothing hand on his shoulder, a hand that felt familiar to him...

"Raven?"

He turned to see no one, but he had regained control over his scared mind. He put up his gun, and was about to turn on the carcass when it leapt at him without warning, its decayed teeth aiming for his throat. He reflexively brought out his shiv and dodged to the side, ramming the weapon into the creature's back. It hissed again, and Robin sent the shiv into its neck, the force disintegrating the collar of the monster and effectively beheading it. He looked at the needle that it had dropped when it had first attacked and saw that it was lying on the floor, the liquid inside glowing bright green like a neon sign. Robin went through the door and heard another voice, this time of Starfire. It scared Robin because she sounded like the one thing that he feared hearing from her.

She sounded scared.

Her voice was like that of a child hearing noise in their room after a bad dream.

"Robin? Is that you Robin? Let me see you. Come on, turn on the light. Let me see."

Robin walked toward the source of the voice and saw a bluish glow that he knew must be her spirit. She was sitting in a chair, her upper body ducked down and her hands over her head in a protective way as several C.O.'s were about to beat her with metal poles. There were meat hooks on chains all around the group, and Terra and Raven were hanging on some of them. Starfire spoke to Robin, almost sobbing and screaming at him in pure fear.

"No, Robin, I don't want to see! No! _Robin, NOOOOO!!!_"

The Boy Wonder yelled with fear and fury, aiming a kick at one guard's head. But before he could reach them, the vision disappeared, and he hit the wall with his foot. Reflexes made him push back with his leg, and he landed on the ground, a tear coming to his masked eye at what he had seen. Starfire was right. This _was_ so much worse than a prison. Robin decided that if he got out of this that he would have had paid for his friends' deaths in full, should he happen to be the one to have done it.

Despite what had really happened, he needed to be alive so that he could maybe repent for what he had been accused of doing. He saw the chair that Starfire had been sitting in, and on a sudden impulse kicked it into the wall, shattering the wooden thing against the wall, the pieces littering the floor in front of him as he fought to control his rage. He grimly thought about the fact that Terra had gone through the same process. Minus the monster act that had killed all those masses of Slayers in the boiler room. Robin walked through the door to his left and found himself facing a shelf with a new toy for him to play with.

Flash/bang grenades.

The explosives had no killing power, but they made an extremely loud noise and emitted a blinding flash, so that anything nearby was incapacitated from fighting for a few seconds. These would prove valuable should the fight be going in the creatures' favor. Armed with this, he saw that he couldn't carry too many of the things. He took two and stuck them in his pack, and carried another in his hand. He heard noise behind him, and slipped his finger around the pin and went back to the room that had shone him Starfire, and saw that he was being pursued by a sole Slayer, and he pulled the pin and rolled the grenade at it, wondering the power of his find. The creature stared at it in curiosity, and when it exploded it shrieked in surprise and fear, its ears ringing from the loud bang and sensitive eyes on fire from the bright flash. The tiny bombs lived up to their name well. Robin quickly pounced on the creature shiv at the ready, slicing into its gut with the sharp blade. Using his momentum from the slash to spin around, he kicked the thing backwards into the wall.

The only problem being that it hit an air tank with one of its blades.

Robin barely ducked out of the way before the explosion sent shrapnel everywhere, one ricocheting off the wall and nearly hitting him in his leg. He moved and it bounced off and headed out of the room.

Straight for the remaining flash/bangs.

Robin squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears as he ducked down into a fetal position, and the grenades went off, sending bright light flooding the area and the loud noise surely waking the dead if they weren't already. The chaos only lasted for a second, but to him it was an eternity. When he was sure that they had all gone off, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The flash/bangs were gone, obviously, and one arm of the Slayer was shoved into the wall, blood dripping down from the stump like a horrific faucet. Robin blocked this from his mind as he walked over to the hall that he was about to take before the flash/bang incident.

The hall had a high ceiling in one place, and it became much lower suddenly as you neared the door. There was a box that was between him and the door, and Robin couldn't go around it. Sighing with defeat, he grabbed the sides of the crate and began dragging it backwards as he heaved on it in an attempt to be able to climb over it and enter the door unimpaired by any obstacle should he need to come back in quickly. Looking up, he noticed a small niche in the wall. He couldn't reach it alone, but with the crate...

Robin pulled the box until it was directly under the small slot. Climbing onto the box, he jumped up and managed to grasp the edge of the space. Pulling himself up, he came face to face with a dead C.O. in a chair, his eyes impaled by the same needle that the other corpse had. The syringes were scattered about the floor, and Robin nearly fell out of the enclosure before he regained his senses. Looking about, he saw that there were indeed supplies here that he could use, but he was carrying enough as it was. He turned to leave, when something hit him in the back. He fell forward, but landed on his hands and flipped right side up, landing on the ground by the door with a grunt. He looked up and saw the body of the C.O. falling towards him, and he jumped backwards, letting the body fall heavily on the ground, a syringe in its hand. Robin began panting. If that needle had gotten into him, who knows what might have happened...

Robin turned his back on the corpse and walked to the door. As he placed his hand on the knob, he heard something scuttling on the other side. When all was quiet, he opened the door and stepped into the room. To his left was a door that had more air tanks around it. Ahead of him he saw that there was a hole in a wall that stuck out from the wall that the door was on until roughly two thirds of the way across the room, and it was thick enough that someone had made a room in the wall, judging by the man sized hole and the light that was coming out of it. He couldn't see around the corner, but to his right he saw three solitary cells. But that isn't what caught his attention.

It was the Slayer that threw itself at him like a missile, aiming to bury its hands in his body.

Robin jumped up and the creature went sailing under him. He saw that the commotion had alerted a Marksman as well as two more Slayers to his presence, one of them being double bladed. Robin pulled out his revolver and fired at the single bladed Slayer that had launched itself at him, hitting it in its stomach and chest, which made it flop to the ground and flail around as it died. This gave Robin an idea. He shot at the Marksman and caused it to begin to fire at him, trying to gun down the Boy Wonder. Robin ran so that the Slayers were between him and the Marksman so that they took the force of the bullets. Robin ran at the single bladed one and turned it around, shoving it towards the Marksman. As the Slayer flapped its limbs in its death throes, it hit the Marksman and the limbs of the creature cut up the gunman, sending blood everywhere as it involuntarily sliced apart the Marksman with speed and randomness. Soon, both the Slayer and Marksman were dead, the Slayer from bullet holes and the other from lacerations all over its body. Robin looked over the devastation and looked into the room in the wall. There were more flares inside, but he was carrying too much as it was. But this would make a nice stash. He took out his flash/bangs and set them on the desk that the flares were on. He took this for an office from the old fort, since there were posters of Uncle Sam on either side, and one that talked about turning in traitors. The Boy Wonder thought about what the paper on the Marksman, about the colonel that had made those executions. He wondered if this had been his office. He saw that the three cells that were solitary confinement facilities were all open. He walked into the one on his right coming out of the office, and saw that on the other side of a gate a room that had a hallway to the right. Looking at the map he had found of the basement, he saw that it was the way to the surface. Now all he had to do was get past the gate...

Walking out of the cell, he went into the next one over. There was nothing in there but dust and a voice that spoke of something that made Robin shudder with revulsion. He noted to himself that the voice sounded proud, as though it was bragging of the deed its owner had done.

"That little girl wasn't so... innocent... after I was done."

A soft chuckle followed this announcement, and Robin ran from the cell in horror and went into the next one. He believed the late Benjamin. The place really was haunted. Praying that this one would give him the answer to his predicament of escaping the basement, he entered, ready to run if another voice should tell of its misconduct. Almost ironically, it told him the most important thing.

"I found a way out."

Robin began to search the cell with his flashlight, and found that there was a ledge above him that turned and seemed to pass right over to the cell on the far right from the office. Robin judged the angle of it, and found that it led to the hall that was blocked by the gate.

Right behind it, so that he could escape...

Robin ran toward an edge and kicked back and forth off of the wall, reaching the top expertly, thanks to his training. Walking around the corner to the right, he dropped down on the other side of the gate, and heard voices coming from the room.

"Sir, you can't just kill them. You have no proof."

"They're a threat to our security. Am I supposed to ignore that goddamn airplane?"

"But sir..."

Robin walked forward, and saw a vision of a high-ranking officer shouting at another official, the higher-ranking soldier leaning in threateningly as he spoke with finality in his voice.

"I am God here. You will follow my orders. And my orders are that you execute them _now!_"

The vision disappeared, and Robin began to feel as though he was being watched. He looked around with his flashlight for a switch, and finding none, he scanned the room for anything of use. All he found was an official document of some sort that had been doodled all over, but was still legible.

_**Department of the Army**_

_**Fort Meade, Maryland**_

_**From: Commanding officer, Fort Meade, Maryland**_

_**To: Colonel Bocke**_

_**Subject: COURT MARTIAL PROCEEDINGS**_

_**I am forced to inform you that you are requested to appear at a Court Martial to be held at Fort Meade on August 18, 1944. This is in regards to the charges against you of unwarranted execution of U.S. soldiers and other misconduct at Fort Maleson earlier this...**_

Robin couldn't read the rest, as it had been torn off. Probably by the insane colonel himself, not wanting his men to know about the Court Martial. He was empathetic to the colonel, who probably did wrong things thinking it was for the good of his men and country. Robin knew the feeling all to well. He heard a voice come from the hallway behind him, which was the one the map had said would lead him out of this horror house.

"We need to talk."

It was the voice of the electric chair entity.

He walked cautiously to the corner, and peeking around it showed him two gates in the center of a short hall with a room that was filled with a staircase leading up and to the right. Walking towards it, he noted that the gate to the left led to a large room that was pitch black inside, and the right one barred a doorway that led to God knew where. He was startled by an apparition that appeared in the pitch-black room right next to the bars that separated it from Robin. Robin looked at it as it talked to him. It was the same ghost that had been wrapped in the wires at the boiler room.

"So you do have an evil side. Not surprising. I think every man has one. But you fought it. For a while anyway. Watch yourself, Robin. This place will eat your soul."

It disappeared in a jolt of electricity, and Robin exhaled the breath that he had been holding. He continued walking to the stairs, and a herd of rats came down, walking past him as he watched their advance towards the room that he had just left. Waiting for them to pas so that he wouldn't crush any, he saw that some of them had blood caked on their fur. But it didn't seem to be theirs, since the walked like they were in perfect health. When the group finally passed, he went up the stairs and found a new weapon that he would be using for a while, a gun that ammunition was scarce to come by lying around on the island.

The Tommy gun was lying on the floor in the doorway, seeming to beckon to Robin to use it. It had a shoulder strap for carrying purposes, and Robin clipped it together. Slinging it over his shoulder, he found several clips for it that he put in his pack, which was almost brimming with the ammo. He would have to ditch the Tommy when he found something better, but for now, it would serve him well. Arming the gun with one of the clips he found, he let it hang idly by his side. To his right was nothing but concrete, and to his left, his flashlight revealed a ladder. Climbing up it, it took him to a small ledge with a door on it. He opened it up, and stepped into his next meeting with the doctor and a reunion with a friend that he had made at the docks.

Robin walked into the next room, unaware of the horrors yet to come in the endless night of Carnate Island.

{}{}{}

So now you see Robin's evil side in detail. I felt that his fight, while needing improvement, was better than the one at the docks. For those of you who played the game, you should be able to understand exactly what Killjoy is trying to do. While the quotes aren't exact, I had to edit them so that they would make sense. If someone could tell me what they really say, that would help out for future improvement.

'Til the next chapter, titled "Slumber of the Dead".


End file.
